Richardson Number | Ellrod Index | Interval Values of Ellrod Index | Turbulence CAPE Index
| Eddy Dissipation RateAtmospheric Turbulence
Richardson Number
The Richardson number is the ratio of buoyancy and flow shear terms. It is expressed by a dimensionless number between 0 and 10. In aviation the Richardson Number can be used to assess atmospheric turbulence. This is also referred to as Clear Air Turbulence (CAT). Values below unity indicate significant turbulence.
richardson_number_<level>:idx
Available levels: 100hPa, 300hPa, 500hPa
Examples:
- Show Richardson Number for the entire globe:
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Current situation:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-12-03T06:00:00Z/richardson_number_500hPa:idx/global:1,1/html_map
Ellrod Index
The Ellrod Index is designed to detect regions of Clear-Air-Turbulence (CAT) in the atmosphere. It is computed based on horizontal deformation of air parcels and vertical wind shear. The unit is s-2.
- Especially suitable to detect turbulence near the jet stream; at upper level troughs and ridges, and the exit region of a jet
- Does NOT account for low level turbulence due to thunderstorms, mountain ranges, etc.
Range | Meaning |
0-2 | smooth conditions |
2-9 | light turbulence |
9-20 | moderate turbulence |
20-36 | severe turbulence |
> 36 | extreme turbulence |
turbulence_ellrod_<level>:s2
Available levels (global): 975hPa, 950hPa, 925hPa, 900hPa, 875hPa, 850hPa, 825hPa, 800hPa, 775hPa, 750hPa, 700hPa, 650hPa, 600hPa, 550hPa, 500hPa, 450hPa, 400hPa, 350hPa, 300hPa, 250hPa, 200hPa, 150hPa, 100hPa, 70hPa, 50hPa, 10hPa
Available flight levels (global): FL20 - FL900 (continuously)
Examples:
- Ellrod Index at 700 hPa around the globe:
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Current situation:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-12-03T06:00:00Z/turbulence_ellrod_700hPa:s2/global:0.5,0.5/html_map
Interval Values of Ellrod Index
Gives the mean, maximum or minimum ellrod index at the indicated flight level over the indicated duration.
turbulence_ellrod_<measure>_<level>_<interval>:s2
Available flight levels: FL20 - FL900 (continuously)
Available measures: mean, min, max
Available intervals: 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h
Examples
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Create a time series for the maximum ellrod index at FL100 for Los Angeles using 3 hour intervals.
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Current situation:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-12-03T00:00:00Z--2024-12-06T00:00:00Z:PT3H/turbulence_ellrod_max_FL100_3h:s2/34.0522,118.2437/html?source=mix
Turbulence CAPE Index
Turbulence index incorporating CAPE. The index is computed for the total atmospheric column and not for single layers. This index allows for checking if turbulence is present. The values range from 0 (no turbulence expected) to 1 (turbulence expected)
turbulence_cape:m23s
Examples:
- Shown is the turbulence CAPE for the entire globe:
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Current situation:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-12-03T06:00:00Z/turbulence_cape:m23s/global:1,1/html_map
Eddy dissipation rate
The eddy dissipation rate (EDR) is a measure for the intensity of turbulence in the atmosphere used in aviation. It ranges from 0 to 1, where 0 indicates no turbulence and 1 indicates very strong turbulence. Currently this parameter is only available with the model Euro1k.
edr_<level>:m23s1
Available pressure levels (global): 950hPa, 925hPa, 900hPa, 850hPa, 800hPa, 700hPa, 500hPa, 300hPa, 250hPa, 200hPa, 150hPa, 100hPa
Available flight levels (global): FL10 - FL500 (continuously)
Examples:
- Eddy dissipation rate for Central Europe in MetX:
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Current situation:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-12-03T06:00:00Z/edr_FL120:m23s1 /Europe:0.1,0.1/html_map?source=mm-euro1k